dabbing in some VR concepts here and there like....

[Mokibi]

Well, really I'm looking for verification in a way...
Could you guys tell me in what direction I should go?
I've been thinking about VR for about 2 years now and what could be done with body tracking devices....

A lot of it is in concept form, I don't even know if its possible really but.... maybe you guys could help me out?

I've been thinking about how a player can move in the virtual world using wrist and ankle trackers.....
the rest of the body will be mapped by digital muscles (muscles that move as if the real thing) actually, more like
points that respond to twists and pulls and pushes, like when you pull your right hand in towards you, the point where
your elbow is begins to rotate inwards... Also there would be multiple points on your forearm that move with your wrist....
actually if you think about it you can't move without your wrists or ankles first turning (ok, maybe this isn't that true, but I need
to look further into it to see if its true) Aside from your hips and upper chest.... but...... I mean the ankles and wrists are
vital points that really allow the rest of the body to turn....Couple this with fixed player heights (the most common) and you should have
,minus a few inches here and there, a character body that turns in game well.....

The ankle trackers could be a combination of Accelorometers, Gyroscopes, Compasses and a few other parts plus a small wireless transmitter which transmits points on a map to the headset.....

I can't say I know how big the headsets going to be but I've also got a few thoughts on how to make it stick (like using an adhesive pourous material that slightly sticks to the player, slightly being the keyword there...) I'm trying to keep the headset from being too heavy so 2lbs is my limit..... the rift is 2 right? or was it 1.6? how heavy is the PSVita? Just imagine strapping one of those to your face lol.....

and also, I looked up the other day about how many wireless signals can connect to 1 device and I think it was a forum on apple that said the max is 7? and even then its also dependant on how powerful those signals are...... would signals like those mentioned earlier be considered strong? I mean when it comes to the ankles and wrists,theyre just rotation, push and pull on the x,y,z axis, plus maybe some other button combinations if need be.....

I could go on, but I really need to know if my thoughts and concepts are valid?

I've also got thoughts on pre-paintball arenas (50 x 50' ft room areas that are hack and slashers for 1 - 4 players) and other areas labeled action and obstacle courses, just imagine Ninja Warrior X Donkey Kong Country!

I've done light reading on wireless antennae signals, distances, routers, and a few other things here and there.....

thoughts appreciated! Please dont be so hard on me if I'm wrong

Thanks a bunch!

-Moki

[cybereality]

Hey! Welcome to the forum.

Yes your ideas are valid, but many of them have been done already.

You should take a look at the VR/AR and Rift subforums (near the bottom) as you probably have a lot of reading ahead of you.

Cheers.

[Mokibi]

Could you provide some examples of what I described as already been done?
whenever I look up videos on tracking the body, you've usually got way too many sensors on your body....

I'm talking about only 4; 1 on each wrist and ankle. the rest is tracked by the natural movements of your body, through
rotation and pushing and pulling. I mean all you have to do is observe how your hand/arm/upper arm naturally rotate and move
and create a model with close height and muscular structure to pull it off....

I looked up on youtube, motion trackers..... is that a bad place to start looking? lol....

are there any videos you could show me that do this? I'll keep looking but......

let me know! thanks a bunch!

-Moki

[cybereality]

Here is one example:
http://www.priovr.com/

[WiredEarp]

As CR says, PrioVR is pretty much what you are talking about.

Re the 'VR Paintball' there are a few threads around already about this (and theres a post about a company planning on releasing a turnkey solution for this) - its usually been referred to in the past as 'VR Lasertag'.

[Mokibi]

I looked at the video, but its not what I'm talking about.

I'm trying to stay away from using so many sensors....

I think to myself there is a way to map in digital space where the arms and legs are
and base the movement of the natural human body on those points. Once you have
where the wrists and ankles are, couldn't you then plot out where the shoulders,
legs, and body are? I think you can't map feet or hands, but I also think there is a solution to this as well, one
case being a controller, or not even needing the hand to move (is it REALLY that necessary? I mean someday yeah but....
could you get away without emulating it at first?)

I mean based on the bodys natural ebb and flow couldn't you map out the rest of the body without extra sensors?

Also maybe i'm wrong, but when I try and move my body without moving my ankles or wrists it becomes really hard.
so perhaps there is some logic to my thoughts?

Also WiredEarp, could you provide a link or a vid for VR lasertag? (I'll look it up but.... would like to see what they have in mind).

Thanks for the feedback guys

Let me know!

-Moki

[cybereality]

Yes, what you are talking about is IK (inverse kinematics), and has also been done.

Sixense did a demo with only 5 trackers, but keep in mind they have position as well as orientation so this helps a lot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkOLswJlTBs

With only IMUs I doubt you would get a robust system with only 4 trackers. You can try, but I would expect there are just too many ambiguities for it to be correct most of the time.

Meaning there are readings from the sensor that could map to any number of different poses.

[Mokibi]

wow.....
wait, so..... now I'm wondering, whats wrong with it?
Why isn't this as well known as the Rift? Or why not advertise this video/idea better?
(then again, I haven't really checked...)

Thanks a bunch, I'm gonna do some research into this system and company

Are they able to map out an environment and run around in it? (like a wide open space with enemies coming from
each direction, or even a linear clear path that the user has to run around in)

This is great news, we're really close to Vr environments!

I guess saying something like "I thought of this little radar gun that scans the environment and maps it in game"
is not gonna be anything new right? (in the case where people fear the environment/ too hard to map out)

Also I thought of how to map the sensors into the virtual world,.... same concept^^^...

I'll look into the forums, but another question, how pricey is the stem 5 tracker system?
Also, how exactly is this system wireless? I'm really surprised.....
And.... A bluetooth dongle can be mounted on a rift right? I mean get a few bluetooth signals transmitted
wirelessly to the headset, then transmit that signal to an antennae/transmitter+receiver several feet away?

This is great news! I'm so happy we're this close...
but I gotta wonder....
whats the catch? If any......

[WiredEarp]

Also WiredEarp, could you provide a link or a vid for VR lasertag? (I'll look it up but.... would like to see what they have in mind).

Do a search for VRCade, that is the commercial turnkey VR lasertag system coming soon I believe.

Generally speaking, ideas in VR have usually been thought of by _someone_ else before. The important thing is the implementation. Many things are still waiting for technology to fully catch up with our imaginations of what is possible.

The STEM system is probably not of much use in VR Lasertag, it has too short a useable range. Most systems of this type use optical tracking.

[Mokibi]

I know I don't know much about wireless signals, but couldn't you take an ipodtouch for example,
use its motion detecting software/hardware, and strap it onto your wrists and ankles?
I know the tech is a bit outdated, so I wonder, how much would the newer ones cost?

Is it possible to make a unit 400$? 300 for the headset, then 25 each tracker?
I'm no genius, but I've been thinking about controllerless applications for a while now...
and so far, it seems possible. You've gotta rotate your wrists alot but..... seems do-able
definitely no keyboard tho, but hell, cell phones went from typing one key at a time, to being able to do more.
like I said, rotate your wrist.

But anyways, in the video you guys showed me, and I'm sorry for the uber late response,
the sixense 5 trackers, I noticed the video was shot in october? 2012? 13? kinda scary if it was that recent but...
I was curious, what was the distance he was wirelessly transmitting? several feet?
and I know people have said this, about mounting a a/v trans/receiver on the headset, but..... why hasn't it been done?

The psp can do it... and it's not even that heavy. I think I saw it weighed about ..... and I think this is wrong....
but 279 grams? or less than one pound? yeah.. that sounds wrong... but..... -shrugs- google?

anyways.... if the psv can do it, why couldn't a rift headset? Is it because it's transmitting higher quality graphics? or?
what about dumbing down the video card/hardware to keep its price low?

and I saw the vrcade you guys were talking about.... I'm more on the sixense 5 trackers side, not the motion detecting cameras or points or whatever those things were side. I can't say I'm a fan of the kinect.

I have my own ideas about what the future of VR is, and it actually involves the city, and not some newly constructed/out of the way area where you'd have to travel to to get to kinda thing...... its still a work in progress, but its definitely REALLY interesting.... especially with how the city plays an interesting part in it......

Anyways.... I was curious, is there some kinda New York City team I could join or look up or? would be really cool to get to know these kinda people and work with them and you know, evolve with them....

Please let me know, PM me if anyone lives in new york and wants to get together and really work on this thing.
My email is Starp0rt@hotmail.com

Thanks a bunch, talk to you guys soon!

-Moki